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really good	Customer Rating:
this is an exelent modern japanese cookbook, exelent basics tips, nobu really takes care for the products.

Some of Nobu's signature dishes in a top quality book

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Kodansha's corporate big wigs are Nobu fans so when he chose them to publish his first cook book, they decided to match the quality of the book to the quality of Nobu's ingredients. They used an eight colour separation process (absurdly expensive) for all the fish pictures, and try as you might you can't really see the dots that compose the image, at least not without a magnifying glass. Nobu's aim is to proudly lay himself open to his public. He doesn't fear revealing his secrets because he's confident enough to know his style and character are unique to him. He wants to inspire amateur chefs. Here are three of the simpler dishes that anyone could make. 1) Sea urchin in a shiitake mushroom cap, wrapped in steamed spinach, served on an egg sauce with a spoonful of salmon roe 2) Asparagus topped with salmon roe 3) Steamed monkfish liver with caviar As the saying goes, the media is the message and the pictures actually help the amateur chef no end. With the superb pictures that accompany the recipes, you can execute these dishes almost from the name of the recipe alone. Without the pictures, you can't. One caveat. Nobu is a name dropper. I've no doubt that Robert De Niro, Martha Stewart, Ken takakura, and Linda Evans really are his friends but he mentions famous names too often for my taste. On the other hand when I went to Nobu Tokyo during Nobu week, he was there and toured the dining room. He stopped by our table and signed a copy of his book for me. So he's not too proud to smile and have chat with us rabble; he really likes his customers. Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Model of the excellent coffee table cookbook.

Customer Rating:

'nobu THE cookbook' by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is Nobu's first cookbook and as he has a new title on the bookstands now, I thought it was high time I got around to reviewing it. For starters, I must say I rank photographic flash way down on my list of criteria for a good cookbook. I have very little use for cookbooks used to grace a coffee table, since I have no coffee table. So, If impressive looking cookbooks from famous chefs is your cup of tea, then this is an excellent book. Otherwise, it doesn't do a lot for me. For starters, while the book deals almost exclusively with fish cookery and raw fish dishes, the introductory material on techniques, especially knife techniques is pretty thin. The story on sushi prep is that it takes years to learn everything you need to know about good knife techniques, and we are given but a half a page without even some pictures of the types of knives used in the three techniques described. I will say that most of the recipes are relatively simple, as long as you have the right skills, but the ingredients for a lot of the dishes are somewhere between difficult and impossible to find. The poster boy for this state of affairs is abalone. Throughout my whole life, I have never seen fresh abalone available on the east coast fishmonger's counter. Now, I suspect this Pacific shellfish is endangered almost to the point of extinction. But, as Bob Kinkaid so eloquently says in his cookbook, high end restaurants can get things which are simply beyond the reach of the average shopper. If this were a book on classic Japanese cookery, I would have a higher opinion of it, but it is a song to the virtues of Nobu Matsuhisa. It is a very pretty song, well graced with paeons from business partner Robert DeNiro, best bud, Martha Stewart, and about twenty testimonial blurbs from the culinary greats. If your thing is good books on and about celebrity chefs, buy this book. But, if your interest is Japanese cooking in general, start with Shizuo Tsuji's 'Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art'.

very satisfied with this provider	Customer Rating:
The book was in perfect shape, and it arrived promptly. This was a very good transaction, thank you

EXCEPTIONAL COOKBOOK

Customer Rating:

The recipes in this cook book are truly exceptional. The photography is beautiful and they aid in designing the finished dishes so they look beautiful as well as apetizing. I had a dinner for my relatives and used about 5 recipes from this cook book in one night. You know you have a good cookbook when all the guests talk about is the food! The only caveat would be for folks who don't have access to a good asian grocery store to find the ingredients or those who don't have the patience to do detailed prep work. For the gourmet cook who loves to please thier guests with the best dining experience--this cookbook will rock your world.